Answered: Follow-up to nets coming apart

[jwvexep]

Net coming apart in competition

Without seeing your Robot or the net in question, it’s impossible to issue a blanket ruling here. But in general, Goals should be able to withstand Robots shooting at them, even at high velocities. My guess is that this Goal was damaged and needed to be replaced. If a Goal fails during a Match, and this failure is Match affecting, the Match should be replayed. The Goal should then be repaired or replaced.

Event Partners are permitted to tape up the connectors on their goals if they are coming apart, as long as the tape does not interfere with normal gameplay.

As an EP, I wanted to check for followup confirmation here:

If one robot consistently breaks several nets, and no other robots do, is there wiggle room to potentially call it not normal gameplay? If a team is shooting directly at a pole in the net (not in an arc-shape, but more like a projectile), and using the pole as a backboard when should we say the team is breaking the field?

I know the manufacturer isn’t perfect, and there is some give in the plastic, and some give in the poles, but at some point, if a team is aware of the problem and isn’t trying to correct it on their end, does it become their responsibility to take preventative measures that they do not break the goal?

Again, I completely understand a goal actually breaking (poles snapping, plastic connectors tearing, nets ripping), but when just one robot is continually causing poles to pop out from higher than normal velocity projectiles, is there room to say maybe it might not be the field or EP’s fault?

I know I don’t want to stand in harms way (or put my volunteers in harms way) to continually fix a net because a team launches balls at the goal too fast and quick!

Thank you!

I had someone point out <G1>

When reading and applying the various rules in this document, please remember that common sense always applies in the VEX Robotics Competition.

If a team breaks the goal, shouldn’t they work within reason to prevent that from happening?

[Karthik]

@jwvexep

If one robot consistently breaks several nets, and no other robots do, is there wiggle room to potentially call it not normal gameplay? If a team is shooting directly at a pole in the net (not in an arc-shape, but more like a projectile), and using the pole as a backboard when should we say the team is breaking the field?

I know the manufacturer isn’t perfect, and there is some give in the plastic, and some give in the poles, but at some point, if a team is aware of the problem and isn’t trying to correct it on their end, does it become their responsibility to take preventative measures that they do not break the goal?

We expect teams to be shooting at the nets with a high velocity. However there is always some give in the rules. If there is one Robot that continually destroying Goals or creating a safety hazard, the referees have the flexibility to invoke <S1> for damaging Field Elements. But please remember, teams are designing robots to shoot Balls into the Goals, high velocity shots are an expected part of this game. In general non extreme situations, a broken Goal from shooting, should result in a replay.

Thank you for being an EP and providing opportunities for teams to play in a safe and fair manner.